


The Boy, the Book, and the Bodyguard(s)

by Hezaia



Series: Natsume Yuujinchou AU [2]
Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-23 19:04:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18708112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hezaia/pseuds/Hezaia
Summary: “I’m sorry, Natori-san.” The boy lowered the mask, smiling a bit apologetically at him where he stood, dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events. “There is something I haven’t told you…”Looking at the situation, at the boy and the dragon shiki practically nuzzling him, that seemed to be the understatement of the century. Still− “Go on.”-AU – Canon divergence, wherein Natsume gradually drives Natori up the wall.





	The Boy, the Book, and the Bodyguard(s)

**Author's Note:**

> I once wrote a fic (In Another World) at ffnet where Natsume had been taken in by Mr. Hakozaki. Then, after re-watching the anime and rereading the fic, I was like "Well, it's not bad, but it's not all that it could be either..." and so, I embarked on making a new and better version of the fic... only to end up with a completely different fic altogether. Go figure.
> 
> I had actually planned on writing things from Natsume's perspective, but then Natori came in and completely stole the narrative, forcing me to scrap a lot of the things I had planned. Oh well. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

**-o0o-**

The truth is, Natori had known Natsume Takashi by rumour long before they had ever met face to face. That however was not to say that he had ever truly known him even after that, never quite like this.

“I’m sorry, Natori- _san_.” The boy lowered the mask, smiling a bit apologetically at Natori where he stood, dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events. “There is something I haven’t told you…”

Looking at the situation, at the boy and at the dragon _shiki_ practically nuzzling him, that seemed to be the understatement of the century. Still− “Go on.”

**-o0o-**

Technically speaking, Natori Shuichi first met Natsume Takashi face to face during that whole incident with the wronged exorcist going around collecting youkai blood. But they had been aware of one another before, at least in a manner of speaking; Natori had been vaguely aware of a youkai wearing a fox mask rumoured to be the boss of a lot of _youkai_ in Yatsuhara forest, and Natsume in turn had been vaguely aware of Natori, albeit initially only as an exorcist.

Heck, if not for an idle comment from Hiiragi when Natori voiced his concerns about Matoba going to the area around Yatsuhara forest, then it might have taken a lot longer for them to meet, and they might have met under different circumstances altogether.

But, after Hiiragi had duly informed him that the ‘Guardian’ of the Yatsuhara forest was in fact a young human and not some powerful _youkai_ , Natori had naturally rushed over, just as eager to nab a potential successor as he was to prevent Matoba from nabbing one.

Thus, despite the relative seriousness of the situation at hand, Natori had felt decidedly good about sweeping in like a knight in armour, dazzling the kid with his skills in warding off Matoba’s _shiki_. Because while the kid did seem to have some skills, he had seemed somewhat poorly equipped for this particular scenario, likely due to inexperience.

In any case, their initial conversation had gone something like this:

“Yo. Are you okay?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

“I haven’t seen you around. Are you new?”

There had been some hesitation at that. “I’m not an exorcist,” the boy had said at last, looking a bit uncomfortable with the attention. He also didn’t offer up a name.

Natori had not been offended though. In fact, Natori considered the other remaining on their guard to be a sign of good judgement, because as far as the other party knew, Natori could have been just as bad as Matoba or even worse.

But Natori had gotten a name out of the boy eventually, even if it was only in the aftermath. And by that point in time, Natori really thought he was owed one, because this teenager was clearly too reckless for his own good. And as for that _youkai_ with him? Natori hadn’t paid a lot of attention to it initially because it hadn’t looked like much, but damn how did some amateur not-exorcist manage to score a contract with that?!

Naturally, Natori made sure not to comment on it. Instead, he did the adult thing and patched the kid up because that damned Matoba had just walked out looking smug after injuring a minor. But it was a great thing that he did, because if he hadn’t, then Natori would have had to struggle a lot longer with a sudden urge to strangle him.

Okay, okay, deep calming breaths…

“Okay, let’s get the heck out of here.” Natori stood up. “Need a hand?”

“It’s fine,” the teen murmured, much like he had earlier muttered that it was just a graze when Natori had fretted about the blood on his sleeve. _“Sensei.”_

The latter part was not directed towards Natori but rather towards the teen’s _youkai_ companion.

“There’s no need to worry, fool,” the thing scoffed. “It’ll heal in no time once I lick it.”

Matoba’s arrow had hit the thing in the side of the neck while it had been transformed, whereas now, in its compact and far less regal form, the wound was located a bit down its left side; not a spot that would have been particularly hard to reach, had it not been so fat.

But Natori opted not to comment, because it really wasn’t his place to do so. He did however assist in providing a makeshift wrapping material, because while Natori might not be very knowledgeable about _youkai_ injuries and how they worked, he still imagined a wound inflicted by one of Matoba’s arrows could prove rather troublesome in the longer term.

Perhaps he should ask Hiiragi about it? She had alluded to being rather knowledgeable about herbs and such when Natori had ordered for her to stay with the injured winged _youkai_ Natsume had been with when Natori had first intervened.

“Hey,” Natori felt the need to say once they had made it for the exit to the underground cavern. “Not everyone’s as bad as that Matoba guy. Some exorcists are actually pretty decent people.”

Natori could have touted himself as an example of the latter, but opted not to. Because really, the kid had dealt with far enough for today. It really wouldn’t be weird if the kid withdrew completely after this. Damn that Matoba.

“I know,” the teen said quite clearly and looked up to meet Natori’s gaze head-on as they emerged into the twilight; the light made the teen’s already light-coloured eyes stand out even more, and Natori could definitely understand if people occasionally mistook the teen for a _youkai_ , given his appearance and strange aura and all, even without the mask.

“Natori.”

They both turned to see Hiiragi.

Natori wondered if he should introduce the pair, if that would even be necessary. The boy obviously had to be the same as the one Hiiragi had spoken of before because even sans the mask, he matched the rough description and−

“I believe this is yours,” Hiiragi said, presenting the teen with a white fox mask. “I found it lying on the ground close to where we found you.”

“Thank you,” the teen said, receiving the mask with obvious gratitude. “Um…”

“It’s Hiiragi now. My new master, Natori, named me such,” Hiiragi dutifully informed him. “I wanted to offer my thanks for your help in dealing with the rope.”

The teen smiled at that, and Natori took it as an incentive to finally introduce himself.

Surprisingly, there was no obvious recognition at the name, and Natori wondered whether he ought to be relieved or disappointed in how the teen – who finally introduced himself as Natsume Takashi – had apparently never heard of him. In any case though− “It’s nice to finally meet you, Natsume- _kun_.”

“Likewise, Natori- _san_.”

That _likewise_ sounded a tad reluctant, but still, this was progress, was it not?

“Now that that’s out of the way, let’s find someplace to eat.” – and chat, obviously.

**-o0o-**

This proved to be the start of a beautiful… well, Natori supposed it could be called a friendship of sorts.

Still, at times Natori felt as though Natsume’s escapades were going to make his hair grey before he reached the age of thirty-five. Because Natsume, Natsume definitely seemed to have a talent when it came to getting in trouble, either due to actively getting involved or being dragged into it by others.

Granted, in some cases, the offending party was Natori himself, due to him wanting Natsume to familiarise himself with the world of exorcists. Natsume himself was not exactly opposed to it either, even if more than one of Natsume’s self-appointed bodyguards had commented that they might spare themselves a lot of trouble if they just ate him; Natori, that is.

Natori’s _shiki_ and Natsume’s _youkai_ entourage didn’t really get along, so it was probably a good thing that they had so few opportunities to interact. Of course, Natsume’s guard detail was usually limited to that mildly irresponsible _Sensei_ , but in time, Natori would encounter the other members of the so-called Dog Circle, which was apparently what Natsume’s closest followers called themselves. As for why they were his followers in the first place, Natsume had gained a somewhat strange look on his face when Natori had first brought it up.

“They were friends of my late grandmother, Natsume Reiko,” Natsume had eventually revealed, seeming a bit embarrassed about it all. “She grew up in the area and caused quite a bit of uproar back in her day, challenging various _youkai_ to fights and such. And _youkai_ aren’t very concerned about genders and the passage of time, so I often get mistaken for Reiko- _san_ …”

The conversation had taken part shortly after Natori had ended up assisting Natsume with some other hairbrained scheme which had Natsume standing in for a missing god!

Really, Natsume’s trouble-attracting aura was enough to have Natori start checking for grey hairs in the mirror in the morning. There was nothing yet, but Natori kept checking every day, figuring it was only a matter of time.

Also, in regards to Matoba’s interference, Natori had finally snapped at one point, foregone his usual paper tools in favour of sending an actual curse Matoba Seiji’s way. But Natori still thought it was perfectly justifiable even after he had calmed down from learning what Matoba had been up to.  

Unfortunately, it seemed as though Matoba hadn’t quite gotten the message to knock it off, and at this point in time, Natori finally caved and provided Natsume with a cell phone, giving him firm instructions to just call him the next time Matoba was at it.

Granted, Natori was but a single person, so there were limits to what he could do, but still.

Also, Natori was hardly the only person looking out for Natsume; other than the Dog Circle, there were plenty of others, humans and _youkai_ , that looked ready to throw down whenever someone even looked at Natsume in a nasty way.

Of course, none of Natsume’s human friends could see the same scenery as him, so the help they could provide when it came to hostile _youkai_ was very limited. However, that Tanuma boy and that Taki girl obviously knew about things and could help out to a certain extent.

Granted, Natori was not really aware to what extent that was, and besides, even if the supposed bodyguard slacked off at times, Natsume could still throw a pretty mean punch if the situation called for it.

All in all, Natsume was probably a whole lot more capable of taking care of himself than Natori had been at that age, or rather, Natsume would have been, had it not been for that particular penchant of getting into trouble.

Granted, a bunch of it was probably related to that late grandmother of his, because _youkai_ could certainly hold their grudges. But Natori knew for a fact that those could only account for half, if even that; the rest were almost all Natsume’s fault for butting into things, really.

All in all, Natori was torn.

On one hand, he desperately wanted Natsume to live a normal life, or at least a semi-normal one that didn’t include any violent encounters with _youkai_ or exorcists.

On the other however, Natori was much like many other exorcists, scrambling desperately to acquire a potential successor.

Natori had definitely played with the thought of making Natsume his official apprentice in the past, but had ultimately dropped it, for various reasons – Natsume’s recklessness being one of them but hardly the only one.

As time passed though, Natori could not help but wonder which would be worse; making Natsume a potential target by making him Natori’s official apprentice or leaving Natsume vulnerable by not officially putting him under the Natori clan’s protection. Another option would probably be to stay away from him altogether, but as things were, Natsume was already somewhat known in the exorcist community, and knowing there were people other than Matoba who had few scruples about these things, Natori figured it was still better to stick fairly close to keep an eye on things.

In hindsight, Natori applauded Natsume’s foresight in having and using that fox mask of his; to conceal one’s actual face and identity was clever, and it was a foresight Natori wished he himself had had back when he was that age. Back then, Natori hadn’t really thought a lot of things through, so he had really lucked out when Yousuke Takuma had taken him under his wing.

Speaking of which–

Natori chanced a glance Natsume’s way. Once again, Natori had dragged Natsume into a place teeming with exorcists, although truth to be told, there hadn’t been much dragging involved as Natsume had expressed a clear wish to accompany Natori to the Hakozaki estate.

There was something a bit off about it all though, and Natori’s gaze kept getting drawn towards the fox mask on Natsume’s face.

Coming to think of it, Natori hadn’t really gotten around to asking about how Natsume had come across that thing, had he? In any case though– “Just so you know, Natsume, Matoba’s people are on the northern side.”

That got him a terse nod, and Natori noticed even _Sensei_ was sneaking glances. “Natsume?”

“I’m fine,” he said, but his voice sounded slightly off. “Let’s get going.”

**-o0o-**

In hindsight, it should have been obvious from the way that Natsume had looked around and then pretty much immediately set course for a particular room, not even bothering to check the others.

Of course, at the time, Natori had deluded himself into thinking that this was just Natsume’s keen senses leading him and nothing else.

But then, Natori had finally caught up and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Natsume standing there in the middle of a ransacked room, and the intended scolding of him for running off like that kind of just died in his throat. Because Natsume was trembling. Natori was unclear as to whether it was due to fear, cold or anger, and whatever Natsume had felt, he quickly hid it again and crouched down by one of the overturned bookcases.

“Natsume?”

Natsume said nothing, and soon thereafter, he stood up, holding what looked to be a photograph in his hand.

Natori stepped closer, about to call out to him again when he stopped dead in his tracks for a moment and then abruptly rushed forward, dragging a startled Natsume behind him.

“Natori- _san_?!”

Natori had his _ofuda_ ready, fully intending to deal with whatever was trying to manifest from the screen on the wall, but Natsume quickly latched onto his arm. Natori was about to shake him off, but then there was flash of light followed by an obvious growl; had that lazy self-proclaimed bodyguard of Natsume finally decided to do his job properly?

In any case, Natori was caught off guard long enough for Natsume to slip out from behind him and to put himself firmly in-between them and the screen. Because of course he did, dammit.

“I’m sorry, Natori- _san_ ,” Natsume said, lowering the fox mask with an apologetic smile.  “There is something I haven’t told you…”

It was the understatement of the century, really. That said however− “Go on.”

**-o0o-**

“So, you came back here after all, child?” the dragon _shiki_ said, lowering its head to nuzzle Natsume’s outstretched hand.

“Yeah, I’m back,” Natsume said, looking fond but also a bit sad. “Sorry I’m late. It’s no excuse, but I didn’t find out until now.”

“Lord Hakozaki did not want to cause you any undue worry, so he said not to seek you out,” said the _shiki_ , closing its eyes as Natsume stroked its snout. “But I am glad to see you well, Natsume.”

“And I you, Aogumo.”

Yeah, things were undeniably a bit clearer now, even though Natori had yet to hear Natsume’s explanation. That said however− “Are you the one guarding the entrance to Hakozaki- _san_ ’s study?”

In hindsight, perhaps not his most diplomatic exchange, but with the time constraints at hand, could Natori really be blamed? After all, taking sure Mr. Hakozaki’s research didn’t end up in Matoba’s hands took priority over pleasantries, did it not?

“Natori- _san_ ,” Natsume said and calmly shook his head before turning to face the _shiki_ once more. “Aogumo.”

The _shiki_ , which had up until then been levelling Natori with a rather cold glare, shifted its attention back to Natsume. “Have you come here to claim Lord Hakozaki’s legacy, Lord Natsume?” it asked at last, bowing its head slightly.

“No,” said Natsume, bowing his own head. “I came here to make a request.”

**-o0o-**

Watching the mansion covered in strangely-coloured flames while the two dragons took to the skies did not feel like a triumph, even if it meant Matoba would not get his paws on any of Mr. Hakozaki’s old manuscripts.

It felt wasteful to burn them, but at the same time, Natori could also admit that Natsume probably had a point.

Besides, in the end, how was Natori any better than any of the other exorcists swarming the place, seeking to obtain Mr. Hakozaki’s research despite having little to do with the man while he was still alive? Sure, Natori had nobler motives, but still−

“Natori- _san_ ,” Natsume said, lifting his mask slightly without removing it entirely. “I have another confession to make.”

“Not here,” Natori cautioned him, nodding to where Matoba’s people were still trying to put out the fire.

“I want _manju_ ,” professed _Sensei_.

**-o0o-**

The confession proved very enlightening, proving what Natori had already mostly figured out for himself; that Natsume, in spite of a very brief acquaintance, regarded Mr. Hakozaki as his benefactor and teacher, and viewed that the man as a major reason as to why he had turned out the way he was, going as far as to claim that he might have ended up hating _youkai_ if not for Mr. Hakozaki.

Naturally, Natori disagreed, even though he did not do so aloud. Because in Natori’s humble opinion, Natsume would probably have turned out kind even without Mr. Hakozaki’s influence; just about as kind, probably about as reckless, and likely a lot less knowledgeable in ways to defend himself…

With a sigh, Natori made a mental note to make a visit to the Hakozaki family grave, feeling like he owed the man some gratitude for taking the time to teach Natsume some basics at least.

And, speaking of the dead…

Natori choked on his drink and launched into a rather inelegant coughing fit while Natsume kind of just smiled apologetically, offering him a tissue as if he hadn’t just dropped the bomb on Natori that he was in fact the keeper of a highly dangerous object created by his late grandmother who had apparently dabbled in the forbidden arts.

“I’m sorry for not telling you earlier,” Natsume said quite earnestly while his _youkai_ bodyguard just scoffed. “It’s not something I usually go around telling people.”

Yeah, and for good reason at that. Still− “Did Hakozaki−?”

Natsume shook his head. “No. I didn’t know about it until after I got to Yatsuhara. I thought about contacting him, but I decided not to. I didn’t want to get in the way.”

Natori obviously could not help but frown at that.

“Beniko- _san_ hated me,” Natsume finally confessed. “And he was her grandfather, not mine, and I didn’t want her to think I was stealing him away from her, so…”

Natori recalled the granddaughter in question, and could not help but feel a bit annoyed, because that girl hadn’t bothered to stay in contact with her grandfather, not even after obviously driving away someone a lot more deserving of the title of grandchild.

Speaking of grandparents however− “Never mind all that. Do you really mean that your grandmother did… what you said she did?”

Because really, even though they were speaking fairly quietly at a café a safe distance away from any exorcists and with Natori’s _shiki_ standing guard, Natori was still iffy about discussing that kind of things aloud.

“Honestly though, if she’d been a member of a proper exorcist clan, the whole clan would’ve been–” Excommunicated or worse. Probably worse.

Natsume averted his eyes, giving rise to new suspicions.

_“Natsume…”_

“…I don’t know,” Natsume said at last, but the guilty shift indicated that he might have a hunch.

On one hand, Natori didn’t want to press him on it, because while Natsume had been keeping secrets from him, it wasn’t as though Natori had been straight with everything from the start, and besides, him not trusting Natori right off the bat was a good thing, since trusting complete strangers with such dangerous secrets rarely ended well for the one telling said secrets.

On the other hand, however−

“I don’t know for sure,” Natsume finally admitted. “It’s just something that Aogumo and Kanegumo said back when I first met them…”

“Hoh…”

“Apparently I looked and smelled very familiar to a man they’d met a long time ago. Thinking of it now…”

Natori felt a migraine coming on. Because if such was indeed the case, then why hadn’t Natsume taken the time to properly _ask_ the _shiki_ about it before sending them on their merry way?

In any case though− “It is entirely possible that you hail from one of the many exorcist clans that have officially gone extinct, but there’s no real need to dig deeply into it if you’re not that interested. Or, I guess I could do a little research on it, seeing as to how you obviously have your hands pretty full already, dealing with your grandmother’s legacy and all…”

Although in Natori’s private opinion, that bloody book should really be tossed into a fire. Of course, he knew better than to try anything though, because even if he’d do it for Natsume’s sake, the aftermath wouldn’t have been kind to anyone involved.

Of course, Natsume’s makeshift bodyguard had professed that his name wasn’t in this ironically named Book of Friends, but that didn’t mean that others weren’t, and that Natsume wouldn’t suffer if something happened to them.

In any case though−

“It’s not like I’m not curious,” Natsume said. “It’s just that… I don’t think there’s a whole lot to find. Besides, it’s not like I need to know. I already know where I belong.”

Technically speaking, Natori already knew as much; for all that Natsume dawdled with _youkai_ , he always gravitated back to the house of his foster parents. That said though− “You still haven’t told them, have you? I could help you talk to them, and if needed, I could−”

“Thank you, Natori- _san_. But there’s really no need for that anymore.”

“Oh?”

Natsume sent an unusually stern look _Sensei_ ’s way. “ _Someone_ got caught red-handed.”

**-o0o-**

“So, you’re that exorcist brat that’s been dragging Natsume around,” said the blue-haired _youkai_ , evaluating him and obviously finding him lacking. “I’ll have you know, that if you harm even a hair on his pretty little head, I’ll gouge your eyes out, got it?”

“Why stop at the eyes?” another member of Natsume’s entourage argued. “Why not eat the whole thing?”

Really.

“That thing?” a third one piped up. “He’d taste awful for sure.”

Really. Natori wondered if he ought to feel offended. He probably should.

In any case though, he was happy that he had ordered his _shiki_ to remain on standby a safe distance away, because they would hardly have taken kindly to hearing such words.

Granted, Hiiragi would probably have been able to restrain herself, but the others? That would’ve been a disaster for sure.

**-o0o-**

Natori had formally introduced himself to Natsume’s foster parents, the Fujiwara couple, before. He would like to think that he had made a decent impression on them.

At the same time though, he couldn’t help but wonder what Natsume could possibly have said about him, given how Fujiwara Touko kept sending him jam and such. Hopefully, this was just a show of appreciation and not them thinking he could not take care of himself properly.

In any case, knowing now that the Fujiwara couple knew about at least some of the stuff that Natsume – and by extension also Natori – had been up to behind their backs, Natori honestly dreaded the reunion quite a bit. Sure, he knew for a fact that the couple was very kind, but who knew what they would say or do to him now, knowing that Natori had been dragging their precious foster son off into danger. Of course, the fact that Natori had also been there to drag the reckless Natsume out of dangerous situations might just prove a mitigating circumstance, but still.

“I’m not entirely pleased,” Fujiwara Shigeru admitted. “But knowing Takashi- _kun_ deals with those things anyway, having some adult supervision is preferable.”

Adult supervision, really? Natori wasn’t even sure he felt like a proper adult at this point, seated across from this man who appeared to be at least twice his age.

“Besides, no matter how much we would like to help him out and support him, we can only do so much in that regard,” Shigeru sighed. “I suspected beforehand, but held off confronting him on the issue because I was afraid that I might scare him off. But, going by what you’ve told me, us not knowing might have caused him unnecessary stress…”

It likely had, even if Natsume himself had been relieved at the time. After all, if Natsume hadn’t been keeping such secrets, then Matoba could hardly have pressured and blackmailed him and such. Still− “What tipped you off?”

Shigeru leaned back and removed his glasses, starting to clean them. “I grew up in this house,” he said at last. “Once, when I was a young boy, there was an incident where something got into the house and wreaked havoc, especially at night. But after it ended, I kind of just forgot about it until a similar thing happened, not too long after Takashi- _kun_ had come to stay with us…”

“Is that so?”

Had the Fujiwara couple been like a lot of the people Natori knew, then it would no doubt have lain close at hand to blame Natsume for stirring up trouble, as many others had previously done, going by what Natori had managed to piece together of Natsume’s childhood. In any case though− “What happened?”

Fujiwara Shigeru took his time polishing his glasses before putting them back on. “As I said, it reminded me of what happened back when I was just a boy myself, and when I mentioned it to Takashi- _kun_ , he got interested, so I made an effort to remember. Takashi- _kun_ is a bit reserved, at least around me, so I was happy when he came to me to ask more about it…”

His expression darkened visibly as he continued speaking. “I’m not sure how much you know about Takashi- _kun_ ’s life before he came to stay with us, but even if he hasn’t said anything to me and Touko, I know for a fact that he hasn’t always been treated very kindly. He’s a distant relative, but I did not even know about him before I saw him for myself. Touko and I have mostly kept to ourselves these last few years, and I regret this now. Had we known about Takashi- _kun_ earlier, then…”

Shigeru trailed off briefly before looking back ahead, locking eyes with Natori. “They tried to talk us out of it,” he said. “They called him disturbed and a troublemaker and whatnot, claiming that he would lie and hurt himself to get attention… or to inconvenience those taking care of him. When Takashi- _kun_ fell off a cliff and was taken to the hospital, I never once heard them express any concerns for his well-being. We had them go get his things immediately.”

Yeah, Natori could definitely understand that sentiment. Also, he made a mental note to ask Natsume about the whole falling-off-a-cliff deal.

“Of course, we made sure to check with Takashi- _kun_ first, fully prepared to accept it if he decided he didn’t want to come with us,” Shigeru said.  “But he agreed, so we brought him home, yet he kept walking on eggshells around us. I believe that he thought we would send him away at the first sign of trouble; most of his things were still in boxes. We wanted him to feel like a part of the family, not like an inconvenience. And that’s why Touko and I were so happy when he came home with that cat of his, asking if he could keep it; it was the first time he had really asked us for anything…”

Natori felt undeniably awkward, having to listen to this. Sure, it gave a lot of insight into Natsume and into his bond with his current guardians and all, but Natori still felt like he wasn’t actually supposed to be made privy to all of this. So− “Fujiwara- _san_ , I think I should go and check if they need any help in the kitchen. Could we continue this later, after dinner perhaps?”

Of course, this was really just an excuse, because Natori was effectively useless in the kitchen, at least when it came to more complicated dishes. Still, heading to the kitchen saved him, at least temporarily, from continuing the conversation.

Instead, Natori found himself helping Natsume set the table, and afterwards, Natori learned more about the incidents Fujiwara Shigeru had initially alluded to; one which took place during the man’s childhood, involving an elder girl ostracised by others, and another, eerily similar episode involving Natsume.

“That was Reiko- _san_ ,” Natsume commented, speaking softly in spite of being safely out of earshot of anyone listening in. “The youkai mistook me for her and came back for revenge, and _Sensei_ helped me deal with it… but a bunch of screens and such got trashed, so I fretted quite a bit…”

Natori finally gave in to the urge and put his hand on top of Natsume’s head, ruffling his hair. Having heard Natsume’s side of things, and knowing of his tendency to hide things, Natori could only sympathise with the Fujiwara couple’s plight. Of course, with the cat now out of the bag – figuratively speaking but also rather literally – the current situation was another.

Of course, this hardly meant that Natsume would tell them everything that was going on, barring that it was _youkai_ \- or exorcist-related. And who could blame him really, for not wanting to worry them needlessly about something that was beyond their control.

It was beyond their control, but not beyond Natori’s. But was Natori ready to take on this kind of responsibility, given how he already had his acting job and his work as an exorcist to deal with? Granted, Natsume wasn’t completely unrelated to the latter, but still.

**-o0o-**

Being formally introduced to Natsume’s human friends was, safely put, an experience of its own.

Of course, some of said friends – the ones still unaware of the whole youkai thing – acted a bit starstruck, but there was also quite a bit of suspicion, no doubt to due to them feeling protective of Natsume.

Others meanwhile – those in the know – regarded Natori with a mixture of wariness, suspicion and intrigue.

“Taki- _san_ ,” Natsume said, after it was just them left. “Would you mind having us over? I’d like to show Natori- _san_ something…”

The girl looked surprised, looking from Natsume to Natori to Tanuma to _Sensei_ and then back to Natsume again. “Are you sure?” she asked at last. “I thought you said it was a forbidden technique and that I shouldn’t use it anymore…”

Natori felt a sudden urge to facepalm, because of course Natsume’s friends also dabbled in those things. Well, in Natsume’s case, it was more of him cleaning up after someone else and all, but− Natori turned towards Tanuma Kaname; they had already met once before after all. “So? Started practicing any forbidden techniques since last time?”

“Not yet.” The dark-haired boy smiled perfectly innocently. “I have asked my dad for a few tips on performing exorcisms though.”

Of course, he had. Still− “Not that it isn’t useful to learn a trick or two, but you−”

“My dad doesn’t have the sight,” Tanuma interrupted, and his smile turned somewhat wry. “And the youkai around the temple got so fed up with him going about with his exorcisms that they begged Natsume to ask him to stop.”

Natori turned to Natsume, who smiled in that way that made it pretty obvious that the request had actually been phrased a bit more drastically than that. But things had evidently been resolved peacefully, because otherwise, this situation would likely never have come to be. “So, Natsume? Got any further confessions to make?”

Natsume’s smile turned slightly awkward. “Well, you know those secret manuscripts from the Hakozaki estate?”

Oh, Natori could see where this was going. With a sigh, he turned towards Taki Tooru. “Taki- _san_ , I hope you don’t mind the intrusion.”

The girl clapped her hands together. “Oh no no, not at all. You can probably help us figure out some of the _onmyouji_ stuff grandpa left out in the shed.”

  _Onmyouji_. Yeah, that made an awful lot of sense.

With a sigh, Natori resigned to his fate. While following them, he comforted himself with the fact that if he could only steer them away from any dangerous forbidden techniques, he might actually get himself an apprentice after all – potentially three, as a matter of fact.

Oh well.

**-o0o-**


End file.
